BergerWorld: 4th Quarter 2005

Pitt Meadows is an agricultural suburb 23 miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia. Located at the foot of the towering Coast Mountains and dissected by three rivers, most of Pitt Meadows lies within a flood plain. Historically, the land was used for silage and forage production associated with dairy farming. However, over the past 20 years, there has been a shift to blueberry and cranberry farming and greenhouses. Whereas previously a field could be flooded for five days in the fallow season and two in the growing season, this is no longer the case, and recent flooding from rainstorms falling on frozen ground caused significant losses.

The Official Community Plan for Pitt Meadows confirms the district's continued commitment to agriculture. To reduce flooding and increase productivity, the district commissioned Berger-Klohn Crippen to study its drainage system and identify the best method for improving the facilities. Currently, the municipality is divided into four drainage areas protected by 60 kilometers of dikes with 163 kilometers of drainage ditches, six pump stations, 13 pumps and 11 floodgates. The Team examined the existing system, the impacts of changing agricultural production and urban development.

Based on these surveys, experienced irrigation and drainage engineers identified ways to improve drainage and reduce flooding. In addition, the Team also investigated the quality of water flowing out of local greenhouses and identified fertilizers that could produce algae in local ditches.

The Team also worked with local cranberry and blueberry farmers to improve their drainage and irrigation plans. Most cranberry farms have their own storage ponds and some farmers take water from the Fraser and Pitt Rivers, but the water quality is not high enough for blueberry farmers. Consequently, Pitt Meadows is one of the few municipalities to extend domestic water service to farms. Currently, farmers in the area use an average four gallons of water per acre per minute during the growing season to irrigate their land. However, there have recently been several consecutive summer droughts in the area, which may cause the municipality to prohibit using water for irrigation. The Team evaluated the drainage system to ensure that it was capable of accommodating current demand and identified the availability of additional water for cranberry production, as well as frost protection. The Team also assessed the impact of an extended drought on the availability of water for blueberry irrigation. To ensure that the final plan is responsive to the needs of the community, the Team proposed a Steering Committee comprised of local farmers, community members, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Fisheries and Oceans officials to review public concerns and implement the plan.